The Rat Man
}} | class="wikia-infobox-image" colspan="2" | }} |- | } | class="wikia-infobox-caption" colspan="2" } | }} |- ! colspan="2" | |- style="font-size:0; line-height:0;" ! style="width:50%; padding:0" | ! style="width:50%; padding:0" | |} The Rat Man is a villain. He lives in the ruins of the ancient city of Turgarresh. He was born a Pellerite slave in the port town of Kon. At the age of nine, he was sold to a master (a minor lord who ruled over the lands near the ancient ruins of Turgarresh) who trained him in rat-baiting and competed him in rat-baited competitions. When he failed to win, his master often tossed him in the rat pit as a form of torture, where the enraged rats would bite and claw him. At the age of fifteen, his master was killed in an honor killing while The Rat Man was left alone, forgotten, in the rat pit. There he trained the rats by breaking off his fingers, toes, ears, etc. and feeding them to the rats as rewards. In this way he was able to get the rats to pull the lever holding the rope and free himself from the pit. His time in the rat pit took a terrible toll, however, and his mind was broken. The boy lost his ability to speak. He fled to the ancient ruins after the locals attempted to capture him. The Rat Man lives in and along the banks of the river. He lives by sneaking aboard passing ships, or sending his rats on board, to steal whatever he deems valuable (usually food for himself and his rats, though women and children have also been known to disappear). Rumors of a strange beast accompanied by rats have spread through the local communities and the merchants who frequent the river, though these are mostly considered fanciful tales told by children and drunken sailors. Allies The Rat Man maintains a large army of trained rats, including his favorite rat, Skelly, who knows the most tricks, and has mastered the commands (issued in the form of grunts and moans) given by The Rat Man. At any given time, he may have people he has abducted in the ruins of the city. He has been attempting to train humans in the same way that he trains his rats. His lieutenant is a young boy who the rats have taken kindly to. This boy knows how to speak, though he is a foreigner (a galley slave captured by The Rat Man) and cannot speak with any of the other people The Rat Man has taken captive. Enemies Drandow Thorpius, who The Rat Man knows is poisoning the water of the Gonnen River, which has exterminated most of the local rat population and destroyed the crops which the rats need to survive. Skills and Abilities The Rat Man's skills and abilities include: * The ability to communicate with rats. * Control over rats * A highly-developed sense of smell * Resistance to poison and disease, and the ability to survive no foods that would normally be toxic * Enhanced physical and mental endurance * Extensive knowledge of the ruins of Turgarresh, including its catacombs and sewers.